Rest easy at Sydney’s newest hotel
The hotel’s Art Deco facade and unassuming laneway corner location belie what lies beyond.
Nicolas Chen has travelled widely and knows exactly what he wants in a hotel and what he can do without.
The owner-director of the freshly opened Aiden Darling Harbour cites international brands such as YOTEL, Mama Shelter and citizenM as inspiration for his Sydney boutique property. He’s a fan of streamlined design, especially inspired by Japanese minimalism, that is both utilitarian and perfectly poised between an absence of clutter and the balance of function and form.
We are chatting in a corner of his hotel’s ground floor foyer-cum-socialisation area and I agree with his vision of accommodation that provides affordable luxury with everything you need to hand and no extraneous falderals.
Broadly speaking, these are places that are pleasingly decorated to reflect a sense of place, with ease and charm, and true connections to a destination. It can be summed up neatly as a “new way to stay”. And there’s already a sense of belonging to the historic Pyrmont neighbourhood at this surprise packet of a hotel diagonally across from the Australian National Maritime Museum on Darling Harbour’s western fringe.
But the Art Deco facade and unassuming laneway corner location belie what lies beyond.
After an 18-month reconstruction project, 88 compact guestrooms have been folded into seven floors of the eight-storey building, immaculately restored from its former incarnation as an office block that served as headquarters for Breville appliances. When it originally opened in 1938, it was as a cereal storage facility amid working wharves and the mercantile buzz of a rough-and-tumble waterfront quarter.
The petite hotel’s ground-level reception area is an exercise in origami, with a row of Parisian-style marble-topped tables and chairs and a cocktail counter constituting Wayfarer’s Bar & Cafe (open 6.30am-10pm; the hotel’s 100 per cent Arabica coffee bean blend from Africa and South Africa is terrific), DIY check-in terminals, a lounge area and a stylish grey-toned tiled floor.
It could be, in fact, in the backstreets of Montmartre or one of Singapore’s hip village precincts. But then the telling local details come into play, such as the lobby’s 200-piece ceiling centrepiece of eucalyptus-leaf shapes that throws scattered patterns of light.
There’s an emphasis on Sydney providers of artisan beer and spirits that include dry gin and dark rum miniature mixes. Baked breakfast goods are sourced from patisseries around the corner or up the road, and the hotel’s signature candle by Em Cook has been inspired by the floral spring fragrances of Sydney’s The Royal Botanic Garden, including native lilies and lilacs, combined with lavender and peonies.
Wines are Australian, with most from NSW, and overseeing proceedings and leading a youthful team is general manager Michael Sharp, as friendly and city-savvy a chap as any traveller could hope to encounter and a trusted source of local knowledge on everything from the best pubs to the prettiest parklands.
It’s thanks to Sharp’s suggestion that a friend and I head on foot to Oxalis Dining where head chef Justin Martins, formerly of Bentley, Est, The Ledbury and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in London, dishes up remarkable fare of the ilk of agnolotti with chestnut, wild mushroom and eucalyptus; lamb belly with celeriac, miso, red oxalis (wood sorrel) and amethyst eggplant; and a showstopper dessert confection of goat’s curd, salted rice, yeast, yoghurt and mandarin.
The venue is basically one front room, not unlike a Paddington terrace restaurant, and simply kitted with wooden floors, white-clothed tables and clever contemporary lighting. Less is more at Oxalis, which reflects good synergy with the Aiden philosophy.
The hotel inventory covers a range of categories, up to the top Balcony Rooms, with full glass doors leading to furnished terraces. Pick of the rest of the range is an Urban Planner with angled views to Darling Harbour and a neat little window seat and side table.
There are queen, twin and king guestroom types in the mix and the hotel website offers a range of angles to fully view each type. Even the lowest-rate Exhibitionist studios have all the bells and whistles but the window faces a mural-painted lightwell so there’s no real view and the queen bed is right against the sill so for a two-person stay, one guest could be vaulting over the other to get out.
But, I would imagine, it’s a perfectly OK option for singles, certainly well priced and the 25m-high handpainted “evergreen wall” mural of native subtropical plants does have a unique wow (and no doubt Instagrammable) factor.
Across all layouts, there’s generosity in the extras provided and ingenuity in the compact layouts. Plush blue velvet bedheads with a scalloped profile, sliding bathroom doors of opaque fluted glass, strong showers, and absurdly comfortable Sleepmaker beds with softly supportive mattresses are the standout features. And individual murals of native plants, including flowering acacia mearnsii (black wattle) after which nearby Blackwattle Bay was named.
These are the work of artist in residence, Jessica Le Clerc, and add a whimsical touch that’s replicated across the hotel in cushion fabrics and printed collateral with QR code scans to find out more.
Once comfortably ensconced, expect a big TV, free streamer channels, lightning-fast Wi-Fi, and full-sized pump toiletries and haircare products by Rituals that smell fresh and cleansing.
The Dyson Supersonic hairdryer is, quite literally, a blast, and an efficient clothes steamer, which hangs on a space-saving hook, replaces the old-school iron and board. The blackout blinds do their job well and there’s a pillow menu and best-in-class airconditioning.
The mini-fridge’s glass bottles of sparkling and still water can be replenished from filling stations on each floor and, instead of the usual pricey cans of drinks and snacks, Sharp and his team direct guests to convenience stores a few steps away.
There’s an espresso machine in each guestroom and supplies of quality teas in herbaland black blends.
So yes indeed, brief fulfilled for a thoughtfully conceived experience.
In the know
There’s a special rate of $40 a day for Aiden Darling Harbour guests at Wilson Parking Harbourside opposite the hotel. Wayfarer’s offers a breakfast menu and a selection of dips, olives, sandwiches, salads and desserts. There are special offers for guests at a selection of local businesses and tour companies and a regularly updated blog on precinct openings and events.
The property is a member of the Best Western portfolio; rooms from about $211, depending on category and day of week.
Oxalis Dining is at 22-24 Harris Street, about a 10-minute walk from the hotel; closed Monday-Tuesday, licensed.
Susan Kurosawa was a guest of Aiden Darling Harbour.